Underdog from Hanover fetches win at Westminster Kennel Club show

Cheryl and Ron Purcell of Hanover were stunned when their Kerry blue terrier was named the 2014 best of breed at the Westminster Kennel Club's annual dog show in New York.

Jessica Trufant The Patriot Ledger @JTrufant_Ledger

HANOVER – Cheryl and Ron Purcell knew their Kerry blue terrier River would walk in as an underdog; they were just happy that she landed a spot at the Westminster Kennel Club's annual dog show in New York City.The Hanover couple never imagined playful River would come home with a coveted title from one of the most prestigious dog shows in the world.

River, who turned 3 on Feb. 11, the day she competed, was named the 2014 best of breed for the Kerry blue terrier. The title means River most closely matched the standards of the breed out of 13 competing Kerry blue terriers, including the top five Kerries in the country.

"I was absolutely shocked. Never in my wildest dreams did I think she'd win," Cheryl Purcell said Sunday as River pranced around their dining room with a chew toy in her mouth. "We just wanted to go for the experience because it's such a big thing in the dog world. I'm surprised I didn't pass out when she won."

Cheryl Purcell, owner of Pooch Paws in Hanover, comes from a family tradition of grooming and breeding dogs, and she serves as a judge for grooming competitions. After breeding River's grandmother and mother, Cheryl had a good feeling about River, who was a little bit bigger than the others in her litter and had a stand-out personality early on.

"You start evaluating them the day they're born, and training them and taking them places," Cheryl explained.

But getting River to Westminster was up to chance, since only the top five dogs from each breed are invited, and the other eight are chosen through a lottery. Once the Purcells heard River had a spot in the competition, they figured their luck would end there.

"The dogs that are top-five are at shows every weekend and have a lot of money behind them," Cheryl Purcell said, adding that many show dogs aren't treated as family pets.

"These are still our pets," Ron Purcell said of River and the couple's three other Kerry blue terriers and two standard poodles. "They are actually our children. We have our two kids, and then we have our children."

Beating out the professionals and the males, which Cheryl said tend to have a larger presence, was wonderful recognition for River, as well as the Purcells.

"I've been breeding Kerry blue terriers for 13 years, but there are breeders who have been doing it for 30 to 50 years," Cheryl said. "Some of the longtime breeders contacted us to say congratulations, which is really nice."